Blood and Empire - Part 1
I groaned, clutching my throbbing head as I sat up in bed. Frowning, I looked around the room. The wine glass and rum bottle were still there, proof that last night hadn’t been a dream. Papers were scattered across the table. For some reason, the artifact was still sitting by the door.
“Haa… Lobelia.”
I let out a deep sigh, as if this had become a nuisance, and began tidying up roughly. I’d meant to go over the documents at night to see what had changed, but Lobelia’s sudden intrusion had made that impossible.
That rum really hits you with a brutal hangover…
That was why I only drank it when I truly needed a drink, yet last night I’d simply downed it. My head was pounding. Lobelia was probably suffering just as badly.
I put on my formal attire and checked my appearance.
“…Mm. Perfect.”
Click.
After thinking over what I had to do today, I opened the door.
“Hawin.”
Bang!
I slammed it shut again immediately. I’d closed it on reflex, startled. I stared at the door in a daze, unable to understand what had just happened.
Let me retrace my steps. The moment I cracked the door open, the Imperial Princess Lobelia had been standing there with her arms crossed and a sullen expression on her face.
What the—? What is this?!
It wasn’t unusual for Lobelia to come looking for me. Sometimes she’d be furious and storm in with her escort knights, literally smashing the door down with a crash! Yesterday’s case was a first, but it had happened before.
I stood cautiously in front of the door once more.
“Haaaa…”
I could hear Lobelia letting out an irritated sigh from right outside. She was definitely standing directly in front of it. And I realized that slamming the door in her face had actually been the right choice.
…Why?
The question lingered. For a moment I twisted my lips, thinking hard. No answer came. I’d assumed her behavior yesterday had been something like a stress-induced outburst. Well, if it was news that the Minister of Finance Kalufen was a traitor selling out the country, even I might start losing hair from the shock.
Ah. Was she here to apologize for yesterday? Or was she trying to bury the embarrassing incident quietly?
I cleared my throat once and spoke in the most relaxed voice I could manage.
“To what do I owe the honor, O small sun of the Empire?”
“Hawin, the small sun of the Empire has come all this way, yet you close the door in my face. This is a grave offense among grave offenses. How utterly heartless.”
Lobelia’s voice carried a sigh.
“Ah, it is only because my appearance might be too unsightly for Your Highness to behold.”
“It matters not. Whether you look unsightly or not is of no concern to me, so open the door at once. Or shall I open it myself?”
“…I see.”
Click.
In the end, I couldn’t win against her words and opened the door. If it was Lobelia, she really would break it down and barge in, so it was better to open it myself than to argue.
Leaving the princess standing outside the door isn’t proper etiquette either… Damn it.
Lobelia stood with her arms crossed, glaring at me with displeased eyes. Faced with a gaze full of dissatisfaction, I instinctively looked away with a small flinch. Cold sweat broke out on my back.
I smiled awkwardly.
“What brings you here, truly?”
“The investigation into Kalufen is complete, so I have decided to hold a meeting regarding his treatment. The Great General and the Security Minister will be participating. It will be held in secret, so you need not worry about leaks.”
Lobelia spoke indifferently, as if my opinion didn’t matter, then grabbed my arm with her hand.
Wha— what?
All I could do was stare at her with a dumbfounded expression. I wasn’t even part of the imperial palace staff—why me?! Besides, even if she was informing me, she wouldn’t have called someone as suspicious as me to a secret meeting like this.
I looked back and forth between the hand gripping my arm and Lobelia’s slightly pouty face. She smiled brightly and squeezed my arm even tighter.
“Don’t even think about running away. The meeting has already been scheduled.”
“Ow, that hurts! You’re treating me like a criminal!”
“Will it kill you to just follow me quietly? How nice it would be if I could sew that mouth of yours shut for a while.”
Lobelia shot me a look of utter disdain as I made a fuss. She snorted and dragged me along without paying me any mind. Because the sight was so undignified, I pleaded with her.
“Your Highness, the image of you dragging a strange man by the arm will deal a serious blow to your reputation!”
“What is so wrong about being seen with you? You’re being far too delusional.”
“You know what I mean, Your Highness. If someone spreads malicious rumors, it will cause trouble for us!”
Lobelia scoffed and ignored me, but at my final plea she shot me a sharp glare. Her narrowed eyes, filled with irritation, pierced right at me. I shivered slightly.
Has her personality changed too much?
Was Lobelia always this rough and stubborn? No, it was only in this loop. If it was because of the memories she retained, I was genuinely curious. She had died of old age, so why had those memories remained so intensely?
This wasn’t the right place to ask, so I buried the question in my heart for now. Lobelia glared at my face with clear displeasure before finally releasing my arm. Then she muttered under her breath as if telling me to listen.
“You are like a mirage that could vanish at any moment, anywhere. So I must hold onto you, no?”
“A mirage? I have always been by Your Highness’s side.”
In countless loops, I had never once left her side. Lobelia gazed at me with dark eyes as I spoke sincerely. Complex, subtle emotions swirled in her red irises, too tangled for me to even guess at.
“Come. And never disappear before me again.”
“Yes.”
I stared at Lobelia wordlessly for a moment before nodding. Her face looked far too pitiful.
…
“Kalufen left for the west again two days ago. This time he used a party as an excuse and stayed quite a while. Did he think he wouldn’t get caught?”
Lobelia spoke with a cold expression, her hands clasped behind her back. The room was far too small to be called a conference hall. The massive Great General let out a low hum, stroking his white beard. The Security Minister was scribbling something down with a scratching sound. The others gathered around the table wore serious expressions as well.
…
Everyone except me, the one who had been dragged into their midst. Lobelia had told me to speak only when called upon, so I kept my mouth shut and stayed silent. The others had only heard the name Hawin and didn’t seem to know who I was; they kept stealing glances at me.
This was a bed of thorns. Damn it.
The Security Minister tapped his pen against the inkwell and asked,
“It will be difficult to execute Kalufen immediately. Other high-ranking nobles are already involved. Even with evidence, they will try to shield him.”
After speaking, he looked at Lobelia as if asking what she intended to do. Normally, Lobelia might have been momentarily flustered. But instead, she slammed her palm down on the table with a loud bang! and revealed her fury. Everyone was startled at the sight of her grinding her teeth.
“Those so-called high nobles—dukes, counts, marquesses—should all have their necks severed for embezzlement. No matter how weak imperial authority has become, can we not take their heads?”
“That is correct. But because this has gone on for so long, the backlash would be severe enough to shake the entire nation. Other nobles might defect to the Nine Kingdoms. And His Majesty the Emperor is still critically ill. Until a clear decision can be made, authority still rests with His Majesty, at least in name.”
“…”
The Security Minister had widened his eyes in momentary surprise but soon continued calmly. Lobelia was at a loss for words. All she could do was bite her lip tightly and swallow her rage.
…Just as I thought.
It wasn’t for nothing that I had acted as a villain and died spectacularly. To execute nobles, the justification had to be ironclad, and the citizens had to understand and accept it as right. There was neither the justification nor the time to suddenly purge them all. With the Nine Kingdoms watching for any opening, executing nobles would only give them the perfect excuse to invade with glee.
“Then we change the order of operations. How do we stop the Nine Kingdoms? We can create the justification somehow afterward.”
“Unless we replace the border lord of the western territories, there is no sharp solution. That region borders the Nine Kingdoms, and given the circumstances, it is obvious they are committing treason.”
The Great General closed his eyes and shook his head slowly.
“Ha, haha… So this Empire is completely rotten. I knew it, but… how could Father…”
Lobelia laughed hollowly and covered her face with her hands. The Great General looked at her with pity. She let out a small breath and bit her lip hard.
The Great General. A hero who tried to protect this Empire until the very end.
But after Lobelia’s death, he had been sent straight to the execution platform. The Security Minister was much the same. He had known a little about the Empire’s true state of affairs, yet could do nothing as it crumbled, falling into despair.
Can’t be helped, I suppose.
I, who had remained silent, raised my hand. The room had fallen into silence, so even a small movement drew everyone’s attention.
“Hm? You are…”
“Hawin?”
The Great General, the Security Minister, the others, and even Lobelia—all of them turned to me with startled eyes. Honestly, as a villain who had sold out the country several times, receiving this kind of attention made me feel guilty.
This time, I’ll have to do things a little differently.
I smiled faintly.
“There is a way. However, it will be difficult for you to accept.”